


City Slickers

by inquisitor_tohru



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Gen, Mementos (Persona 5), Post-Persona 4: Golden, Tokyo (City), Trick or Treat: Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26950234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inquisitor_tohru/pseuds/inquisitor_tohru
Summary: So Kanji was a little lost.Big deal.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31
Collections: Trick or Treat Exchange 2020





	City Slickers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moon_Blitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Blitz/gifts).



So Kanji was a little lost.  _ Big deal.  _ Everyone probably got lost in Tokyo at least once, because it was freaking  _ huge.  _ Alright, he just needed to focus on remembering the directions Yosuke had given him...instead of getting frustrated over the fact that he was sure Yu would have given him clearer ones, and that  _ then _ he might have been able to avoid being packed into a train-car like a giant, human-shaped sardine. Then again, it was often just one of the inevitable and less fun parts of living in the city. 

Like getting lost.

But one  _ nice _ thing in this part of the city was that people didn't look like they'd run away when he stopped to ask directions. Hell, a lot of people even dressed like him and there were plenty of other dudes on his textile design course. Amidst the bustle, he spotted a couple of high school punks loitering - one of them even had bleached hair like he used to. The other guy kind of reminded him of a cat, which was weird, but they seemed alright enough, and probably passed through this station every day.

"Yo, how do I get to Waseda from here?" 

"Oh right, you're not far off, but you want the Fukutoshin Line," said the kid with the bleached hair. Kanji shifted uncomfortably when he realised the guy was staring. Muscle memory, he guessed. "Cool shirt, by the way." 

"T-thanks." The blonde kid flashed him a grin, and Kanji could have sworn he heard a  _ meow _ from the other guy.  _ Kids, _ man. He wondered what they were doing, just hanging out in one of the busiest stations in Tokyo at this time of night, but whatever - that wasn't his business, and besides, something gave him the feeling they could handle themselves.

He'd had no idea  _ how  _ right he was. 

Kanji managed to get the right train this time, and the car was even quiet. Maybe too quiet,  _ eerily  _ quiet. Naoto would probably have called it strange and suspicious, but with even fancier words (he couldn't even imagine how many detective novels she must have read over the years to sound so cool).

The feeling that washed over him was suffocating in a different way to the crowds from earlier. It reminded him of being in the TV world, which was  _ stupid.  _ It wasn't like there was a huge-ass TV screen in the tunnels for the train to simply...barrel into. But it also wasn't like he could forget that feeling, like a chill running down his spine, but so much more intense. His first instinct was to look for a weapon. If there weren't any shadows, great, but if there were - and Kanji was  _ pretty _ sure of that now - he'd need one. He knew Rokuten Maou would always look out for him, but he needed something to protect himself at close range while his persona did his thing.

The train slowed to a screeching halt, doors opening. Yeah, it might not have looked quite like the inside of the TV, but it had those same bad vibes. It wasn't his usual style, but he grabbed the fire extinguisher before heading out into the Tokyo Underground, or at least what  _ should  _ have been the Tokyo Underground. Everything was distorted. Beneath the train, in place of rails, were uneven wooden tracks (no wonder it had stopped), and the shadows seemed to have a solidity that Kanji recognised all too well, bodies rippling in black and red walls.

Further down the tunnel, someone was yelling, and Kanji's first thought was that it was another passenger in trouble. His second thought was that he had to  _ help _ them. Rokuten Maou's support skills weren't what you'd call extensive, and Kanji didn't know what kind of shadows they might encounter in this place, but he had to try,  _ damn it.  _ He turned a corner, almost relieved to see a Pixie batting her wings - not that he'd ever be happy to see shadows roaming around, but it could have been much, much worse. Then he saw...those two kids from before? At least he was  _ pretty  _ sure it was them, but they were in some crazy cat burglar-esque costumes. 

Speaking of cats, they had a third companion. 

Their features were feline rather than  _ ursine,  _ but they reminded him a lot of Teddie. Maybe even cuter. Huge saucer-like eyes, and that fur looked  _ so, so _ soft-

He needed to focus.

It was probably just a costume, anyway, and they were all just headed to some Halloween party. Yeah, that had to be it. And, right now, they needed his help.

"Rokuten Maou! Time to show 'em what we've got!" The kids turned his way, expressions unreadable behind their masks. Rokuten Maou lunged forward, shattering the Pixie beneath one of his massive fists. It was total overkill, but he didn't have the luxury of switching personas like Yu did, and didn't really want to risk the unpredictability of the fire extinguisher. (Could be useful if there were any Pyro-Jacks around though, so he kept hold of it for the time being.)

"W-what the-" Kanji definitely recognised that voice as belonging to the blonde kid from earlier. The other guy let out a disappointed sigh, and then spoke for the first time.

"I was going to make a deal with that one." 

"A deal with a  _ shadow?  _ Are you kids out of your damn  _ minds?"  _ It only occurred to him  _ after _ yelling that maybe the quiet guy was like Yu. It seemed  _ possible  _ \- the Shadow Operatives had mentioned someone who sounded like that, though it had sounded like he was MIA.

"Dude." The blonde kid kept looking from his friend to Kanji and back again. "Did you  _ see  _ his persona? That was freakin' awesome! I'm, um, Skull, by the way." Kanji felt a blush creeping across his cheeks. The Investigation Team had accepted him for who he was, but he still really wasn't used to guys thinking he was awesome, or cool, or whatever. Except for Yu, anyway, but Yu had always been kind of different, too.

"I'm Joker," said the dark haired kid, "and I can assure you we're not out of our minds." Kanji nodded a little sheepishly. He needed to remember not to just jump to conclusions like that, even if these kids were weird as hell - who called themselves  _ Joker  _ or  _ Skull? _

"Yeah, um, sorry about that. I guess since we're doing introductions, I'm Kanji, and-" He paused as the strange-looking cat creature appeared again. He'd almost forgotten about them and that soft, soft fur.

"Oh, right," said Skull, "this is Mona." Kanji gulped. He knew he  _ had  _ to ask.

"C-can I touch your fur?" The look in Mona's gigantic eyes was a clear 'no'. Well, it was worth a try.

"So, Kanji, what brings  _ you  _ to Mementos?" 

Something told him it was going to be a  _ while  _ before he got to Waseda Station, let alone Yu and Yosuke's apartment. But, damn,  _ what  _ a story he'd have for them.


End file.
